"The key to understanding the Bible is to look for Jesus in the Bible. Jesus is the hero of the Bible. If you read the Bible and don't find Jesus, re-read it! The Bible has one hero, His name is Jesus; one villain, that is Satan; one problem, that is sin; one solution, that is salvation. That is what the Bible is all about." -Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sunday, September 6, 2015

As I’m sure you all know by now, Rowan
county clerk Kim Davis was arrested last week for refusing to issue marriage
licenses to homosexual couples in the state of Kentucky. Not only was she
arrested, but she was denied bail and sentenced to remain in jail until she
agrees to issue licenses to same-sex couples by US District Judge David
Bunning who stated that he had “no alternative” because simply fining her would
never change her mind. Mrs. Davis, of course, sited her deeply held religious
beliefs as grounds for not issuing the licenses. Some, including so-called
“conservative” presidential hopefuls Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump, John Kasich,
and Lindsey Graham, have made the claim that her personal beliefs do not put
her above the law and that she should have simply resigned if she did not wish
to participate; however, I believe that there is a much greater issue at hand
here. This is not simply about religious freedom, but about an out of control
progressive government who’s looking for a way to further their own lawless
agenda.

Ordinarily, I would agree that she should have simply
resigned, as I have never been a believer in fighting one’s employer in the
name of religious freedom. If my employer refuses to work with me, I have no
desire to work for them. However, since Kim Davis is an elected official, I
believe this case is a little bit different than it would be in the case of an
average employee working in, say, a department store. Not only was Mrs. Davis
elected by people who no doubt were full aware of her firmly held belief in God’s
definition of marriage, but it is also highly likely that the majority of the
people affected by her decisions as county clerk share her same belief, as it
is common knowledge that most Americans still believe in traditional marriage. And
since she is an elected official, she would also have to go through the
impeachment process in order to be relieved of her job rather than simply being
fired, which is another point entirely in and of itself.

I think it is important to note Judge David Bunning’s
statement that simply fining Mrs. Davis would not be enough to change her mind,
because it proves that his motive to sentencing her to jail goes far beyond
simply making sure that justice has been served. If the goal was just to ensure
that homosexual “marriage” licenses were issued in Rowan County, Kentucky, all
that would need to be done would be to impeach Mrs. Davis and replace her with
someone else who would issue the licenses; however, this judge had something more
in mind when he made his decision. He didn’t want just anyone to issue the
licenses. No. He wanted Kim Davis herself to issue the licenses. And if he
couldn’t make her do it by instating heavy fines, he thought that maybe he
could make her sweat it out in jail. Not only would that teach Mrs. Davis a
lesson, but it would also send a message to all those who disagree with the
progressive left that says, “You may not have to agree with us privately, but
we will force you to conform to our beliefs publically.” This is not about Kim
Davis’s refusal to issue “marriage” licenses, but it’s all about proving a
point that no one goes against the liberal left and gets away with it.

Lastly, in reality, Kim Davis has broken no law because
homosexual marriage is still not legal anywhere
within the United States of America. You see, the Supreme Court, in spite of
what our liberal-minded president would like to believe, does not have the
authority to pass a law on anything. That is not what they are there for. The
Supreme Court can say whether or not they believe a certain law in question is
constitutional, but they have never possessed the power to write or enact any
such law. That, in and of itself, is unconstitutional. In order for a certain
idea to become a law, it must first go through the president and congress,
which the idea of homosexual “marriage” has still yet to do; therefore making
any and all homosexual “marriage” licenses issued in any state since the SCOTUS
decision absolutely worthless. And no one can break a law that never existed.

Again, this is not about one woman’s religious beliefs, but
about a progressive presidential administration that is spinning out of
control. Until congresses passes a written law that says that homosexual “marriage”
is now legal in all fifty states, I believe it is the duty of county clerks
everywhere, regardless of what their religious convictions may be, to refuse to
issue “marriage” licenses to homosexual couples because they are still nothing
more than a worthless piece of paper. This is about judicial tyranny, folks. It’s
about one branch of the government thinking it is superior to all others. If
they can get away with homosexual “marriage,” what will they try to get away
with next?

You don’t have to be a Christian today to agree with what I’ve
said here. However, if you have not yet acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Lord
of your life, I’d like to encourage you to come to do so before it is eternally
too late for you. If you will turn from all sin and trust Christ alone to save
you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Do you remember the story of Jonah? I do. I remember
learning about Jonah and the really large water-dwelling creature (whether it
was a fish or a whale is beside the point) when I was no more than four or five
years old in Sunday school. I remember learning about Jonah running from God,
being swallowed by the fish, and then later being spat out to go and do what
God had originally told him to do. However, I don’t remember being given the
in-depth reasoning for why Jonah made the decisions that he made. Perhaps it
was because a four-year-old isn’t capable of grasping the concept of being
angry at the mercy and forgiveness of God. But whatever the reason, it is a
story that is most certainly important for us to discuss today, especially in
light of what is being taught in many a modern church in today’s world.

In the culture we live in today, it is
becoming more and more difficult to call sin sin without being labeled as “condemning”
and “judgmental,” and it has become evident to me that many within the church
even have become greatly confused as to what these terms really mean. If we
look at Scripture close enough, I think we’ll find that to call others to
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is far from condemning. Therefore let’s
look back at the life of Jonah to see what a truly condemning spirit looks
like.

We find in the book of Jonah that God
called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach a message of repentance.
However, instead of going to Nineveh as God had commanded him to do, Jonah fled
to Tarshish because he knew that, if he went to Nineveh and preached
repentance, the people there would repent and turn to God and find mercy and
forgiveness. The problem was Jonah was angry with the people of Nineveh and
didn’t want to see them repent and be forgiven. No. Jonah wanted nothing more
than to see the people of Nineveh eradicated from the face of the earth
forever. This, my friends, is a spirit of condemnation.

Indeed, many people will say to you, “What
right do you have to condemn me”? However, in response, you can say, “I can’t
condemn you anymore than you already are.” John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe
is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.” If the person you’re talking to does not know
Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life, you don’t have to condemn them because
they’re condemned already. All you have to do is convince them of their sinfulness
and then lead them to repentance and faith in Jesus. It’s as simple as that.

Perhaps you’re here today, and you’ve never
acknowledged Jesus as the Lord of your life. If that’s you, let me invite you
to come do so before it is eternally too late for you. If you die in your sin,
you will spent eternity in Hell separated from God forever; however, if you
will turn from all sin and trust Christ alone to save you, He will save you
today and keep you saved forever.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Okay. It’s time. I’ve made a few comments on
facebook recently about this issue, but I thought I’d go into a little bit more
depth here and try to explain my feelings on this issue. First of all, let me start
out by asking you a question? Is it possible for one to be against the flag and
yet, at the same time, feel that it should not be removed from the State House
grounds? My answer is yes, I think it is possible to be both against the flag
and against the decision to remove it, all at the same time. Please allow me to
explain.

When discussing whether or not to remove
the flag, you must understand that the flag is no longer flying on top the State
House as it once was years ago. Up until yesterday morning, the flag could be
seen flying above the Confederate Memorial on State House grounds, and it is my
understanding that, although the flag has been removed, the memorial itself
will remain in place. This is just something that, for the life of me, I cannot
understand. If the Confederate flag is considered offensive to a multitude of
people, wouldn’t you think that the Confederate Memorial that the flag was
flying over would be considered just as offensive by the same people? That
being said, what good is it going to do to remove one and leave the other? If
they are indeed equally offensive, as I believe they should be, remove them
both or leave them both. It is pointless to take one without the other.

On the same note, if we are going to remove
the Confederate flag from the SC State House grounds due to its “racist”
history, we’re going to have to remove a whole lot more than the flag. For
example, our US capital is named after George Washington who, at the time of
his death, had 316 slaves living at Mount Vernon. Of the fifty-six men who
signed the Declaration of Independence, forty-one owned slaves. Are we going to
erase all their names from history too, or perhaps boycott the Declaration of
Independence itself? Despite how we feel about the Confederate flag, I think
the only sensible way to look at it is as a part of American history. If you
don’t like the past that it represents, you can still look at it as reminder of
the present that exists in spite of that past.

Lastly and most importantly, I believe we
need to think long and hard about the message that the removal of the
Confederate flag at this particular time is sending to our children and those
around us. This flag was not removed as a result of a change of heart among the
people of South Carolina. No. It was removed because some crazed lunatic who
just happened to post a picture of himself holding the Confederate flag took
the lives of nine innocent black Americans in the state of South Carolina. As a
result, the suggestion was made to remove the Confederate flag from the State
House grounds, and it was done. But did removing the flag bring those nine
people back from the dead? No. Will the absence of that flag prevent another
black-hearted murderer from committing the same act? The answer again is no. In
fact, I personally believe the removal of the Confederate flag from the SC
State House grounds will only help to fuel another attack, because anyone
thinking of committing such a crime will now see that they will not be the only
one blamed for whatever crime they are planning to commit.

If you hear nothing else I say today, hear
this. Ronald Reagan once said, “We must reject the idea that every time
a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to
restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his
actions.” I don’t care who you are, how you were raised, or what you have been
through in your lifetime. If you commit a crime of any sort, it is no one’s
fault but your own. The Confederate flag did not take the lives of nine
innocent people who had gathered to worship at Emanuel AME Church in
Charleston, SC. No. A cold-blooded murderer did that. It is time to start putting
the blame where it really belongs and stop exploiting the killing of innocent
people to further your political agenda.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life
today, I invite you to come to do so before it is eternally too late for you.
If you will turn from all sin and trust Christ alone to save you, He will save
you today and keep you saved forever.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

First of all, I would like to start this
post by wishing all the fathers out there a Happy Father’s Day. If I remember
correctly, it has been three years since the last time I wrote anything about
my own father. My father and I didn’t have the best relationship growing up.
And when he died unexpectedly in 2002, I began trying my best to forget that he
ever even existed. All that changed, however, several years ago when I realized
that the unforgiveness I was harboring in my heart against him was doing more
harm to me than it ever would do to him. A couple years ago, I explained my
feelings about my father in a letter to a good friend, and I would like to
share part of that with you here today.

Speaking of my
father, I spent the first eight years after his death trying to erase all
memories of him from my mind. The truth is I hated my father for choosing his
selfish, sinful lifestyle over our family. He didn’t actually walk out on us,
although he did; my mother kicked him out. I’ve told very few people this, but
my father had a drug problem. He took his own life the same way his musical
hero, Elvis, took his. He and the rest of the family kept it well hidden, but
it was there. I knew he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, but I never
really questioned why. It wasn’t until after his death that the truth began to
come out. It was then that I started to put two and two together and begin to
truly understand the reason behind some of the things that had happened when I
was younger, like why he never could keep a steady job, the real reason he
didn’t have a driver’s license, etc.

It wasn’t until about
two years ago that I realized that what I was doing was very wrong. God commands
us to forgive. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” A very wise
person once said, “Forgiveness is for the forgiver.” He was dead. Me holding a
grudge wasn’t doing one blessed thing to him, but it was eating me alive. So I
chose to forgive and bear my grudge no longer. Since then, my thoughts toward
him have changed completely. Now, instead of being glad he was no longer a part
of my life, I wish he still was. And I often wonder what it could’ve been. You
know, if he had gotten help, if they hadn’t got a divorce. Would he still be
here? Would I be writing about his successes rather than his failures?

Reba McEntire sings a
song called “The Greatest Man I Never Knew.” (No, I am not a Reba fan. I just
know the song exists. I much more prefer songs like “My Mother’s Faith.”)
Nobody knew my father like my grandmother. She was his biggest fan, even though
I know the life he chose for himself broke her heart. To hear her tell it, he
hung the moon. And she’s told me on several occasions, “I know you know the
bad, but there was a lot of good.” That’s why I like to think that my father
was the greatest man I never knew. It’s also why I pray that I will live my
life in such a way that my children will get to see the man that God always
intended me to be, instead of the other way around.

Although my father professed to know Jesus
Christ as Lord, I still lack assurance of his salvation. The fruit simply wasn’t
there. If you yourself are a father and you are here reading this today, I beg
you not to let your children be able to say the same of you one day. In fact,
that is the only reason I have chosen to share my story with you here today.
Please, if you have yet to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life,
please do so before it is eternally too late for you. If you will simply turn
from all sin and trust Christ alone to save you, he will save you today and
keep you saved forever.

Monday, June 15, 2015

I recently described several reasons why I
have chosen not to follow the typical modern-American dating process. However,
in giving you that list, I am afraid I left out the most important reason of
all. That reason being that the type of lady I wish to marry cannot be found on
the dating scene. If she’s looking for me, I’m certainly not looking for her. I
have no desire whatsoever to marry a woman who feels that she has to have a man
in order for her life to be complete.

A few years ago, I made out a list of
things to look for in a future wife. These are all things that I can see from a
safe distance without becoming romantically involved, such as whether or not
she dresses modestly and how she treats others around her. However, the entire
list can be summed up in this: she spends every minute of every day serving God
and serving others, seeking every day to know Him better than she did the day
before. A woman like that has no time for the dating scene.

You see, the type of woman I’m looking for
can’t be found at the singles’ bar or on any of the online dating sites. No.
You won’t find her knocking about downtown on a Saturday night, either. Where
you will find her is with her family serving up her famous fried chicken and
macaroni pie. You’ll find her on the neighbors’ doorstep delivering a freshly
baked cake to welcome them to the neighborhood. You’ll find her driving the
elderly neighbor lady to the grocery store every Friday morning. You’ll find
her weeding her grandmother’s flowerbeds. You’ll find her playing with her
nieces and nephews in the backyard. You’ll find her at the church every time
the door is open. You’ll find her by her bed on her face before the Lord.
That’s where you’ll find the kind of woman I’m looking for.

The Bible tells us that Isaac met Rebecca
while she was going about her daily chores watering the camels. The servant
that was sent to find her knew that she was the one because she offered to
water his camels as well. She had no idea that doing so would land her a
husband. Being from the south, I certainly hope that my first encounter with my
future-wife will involve some sort of comfort food, but it better not be on the
other end of a fish hook. A woman who’s looking won’t find me.

To me, the most attractive thing about any
woman is her willingness to serve God and others. When I think of the kind of
woman I hope to marry someday, images of Aunt Bea come to mind. You know, that
woman who’s always busy but always has room for one more at her dining room
table. Truth be told, I don’t date because I don’t have time for a woman who
has time to go on a date. I do, however, have time for a woman who’s secretly
looking for a battle partner who will join her on her daily mission to reach
this world for Christ. Now, that I have time for.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I have not been
on an actual “date” in a very long time. When people question why or try to set
me up with someone, as various people will do from time to time, I usually just
give them the short, condensed answer of “I just don’t date.” However, after
years of cultivating my mindset on the matter and earnestly searching the
Scriptures to see what God has to say about it, I have decided that it’s time
to let you in on my reasoning for throwing dating out the window. Before I do
so, though, I would like to assure you that I do not, in any way, believe that
choosing the modern-American dating concept is a sin. I do, however, believe
that it can prove to be quite dangerous if not treated with extreme caution.

Training for Marriage

In the soon to be released Christian film Old Fashioned, the main character makes
a comment at some point in the movie, saying, “Dating doesn’t train us to be
good husbands and wives. It trains us to be skilled in the superficial.” I
believe he was right. Dating does not teach us to exemplify the love described
in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It doesn’t teach us to be patient or kind. It doesn’t
teach us not to boast or envy. Dating doesn’t teach us not to be rude or think
only of ourselves. It doesn’t teach us to control our anger or freely forgive
without end. It doesn’t teach us not to delight in evil, but usually does the
exact opposite. Dating doesn’t teach us to protect, to trust, to hope, or to
persevere. No. The modern-American dating concept teaches us none of these
things. Instead, all dating teaches us is what mistakes not to make when
picking up the next date.

All Icing, No Cake

When I think about dating, I picture a man dangling a thick,
juicy steak in front of a wild, hungry lion and daring it not to take a bite.
It’s the same as putting a cake in front of a two year old and telling him that
he can stick his finger in the icing but he has to wait a couple more years
before he can eat the whole thing. Dating is all icing and no cake. It gives a
taste of sweetness without offering the real thing.

Over the years, I’ve come to refer to dating as “counterfeit
marriage.” That is because dating requires us to do all the same things married
people do but before we’re actually married. Dating requires you to claim
something as yours without significant proof of ownership. You can stake your
claim on a piece of land. You can even set up a house on it and call it yours;
however, without a title to the property, that claim won’t fly in a court of
law. Dating relationships are strictly superficial, and come nowhere near being
the real thing.

Premature Emotional Involvement

Perhaps the very first issue I saw with dating years ago was
the fact that dating requires two people to become emotionally involved before
they ever have the chance to fully evaluate the situation. Romance is blinding.
Sometimes it’s hard to see past the moonlight and roses, and the truth often
gets overlooked. As a result, people often get married only to realize that
they didn’t marry the person they thought they were marrying. Too often, people
base their decision to get married on the butterflies in their stomach instead
of using their God-given ability to rationally think things through. The
modern-American dating concept only makes it that much harder not to think with
such a mindset.

Needless Baggage

Dating also requires us to store up years of needless
baggage, and then somehow expects us to forget all about it when we finally tie
the knot. If you’re like me, however, you find that hard to do. The way I see
it, if those relationships aren’t going to mean anything to you once you
eventually get married to someone else, why waste your time on them now? I
don’t know about you, but I don’t want to marry someone who’s been passed
around like a Gatorade bottle in a football huddle. Likewise, I don’t want my
future wife to have to marry a used husband, either.

I remember reading a story in the book I Kissed Dating
Goodbye about a young lady who had a dream about her wedding day. It was
more like a nightmare, really. She and her soon to be husband were standing at
the marriage altar when various other women started walking forward, one at a
time, and standing by her fiancé’s side. When she asked who these women were,
he responded (my paraphrase), “These are all the women I gave a piece of my
heart to.” I can imagine her standing there thinking, “What is there left for
me”? That is what dating does.

Forming a Divorce Mindset

Lastly, dating sets us up for a divorce mindset. It requires
us to enter into each new relationship with an end in sight, thinking, “Well,
if it doesn’t work out, there’s always other fish in the sea.” Unfortunately,
this mindset often carries over into marriage, as well. Dating doesn’t prepare
us to enter into marriage with an attitude of unconditional, sacrificial love.
Dating prepares us to stick around only until the other person violates our
trust, and then it’s time to move on. But folks, that’s not how God designed
marriage to work. God designed marriage to be an ever-present reminder of
Christ’s relationship with the church, and He’s certainly in it for the long
haul.

No. I’m done with dating and superficiality. I’m perfectly
fine with waiting until God says I can enjoy the real thing. What I’ve laid out
for you here today is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it should at least
give you a good idea as to why I’ve said a quick, polite “no thank you” to
dating for going on six years now. I’ve come to believe that romance is meant
for marriage alone, and I plan to keep it that way. No, it doesn’t mean I’m
lonely because I’m “alone.” It just means I’m waiting for the right one to
spend all of my time with. Others have settled and bear the scars. Don’t do the
same.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Genesis 50:20

Did you watch Megyn Kelly’s interview with
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar last night? It really answered a lot of questions
for me and made me realize that, if I admired them before, I admire them ten
times more now. There are still things I disagree with them on, but that doesn’t
make the way they have chosen to handle this situation any less commendable. They
were humble. They were honest. They were even thankful to Megyn Kelly for
sharing their story. I saw no anger. I saw no hatefulness. All I saw was two
people who are resting in the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of their Savior.

I liked when Jim Bob said (my paraphrase), “No,
we didn’t really want this to come out. But now that it has, maybe those who
have done something similar can look at what Josh has been through and realize
that, if God could forgive him and give him a new life, He can do the same for
them too.” I tell you what’s the truth, they’re handling it a lot better than I
probably would. They have had so many people say so many horrible things about
them in the last few weeks, and they have nothing but grace and forgiveness for
those people.

As I was listening to their story, I couldn’t
help but think of the verse in Genesis 50 that says, “But
as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in
order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” I
tell you I think God’s going to do just that as long as they will continue to
surrender their lives to Him. The enemy meant to destroy them, but God means to
draw them closer to Him. The enemy meant to turn people away from the Duggars
and away from God, but God wants to use the Duggars to show His mercy,
forgiveness, and grace. God is still in the forgiving business, and I believe
He wants to use the Duggar family to declare that to the world.

Maybe you can’t find it in your heart to
forgive Josh Duggar for what he did over a decade ago, but do you not know that
Jesus said, “I say to you that whoever looks at a woman
to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”(Matthew
5:28)? We are also told in 1 John 3:15 that “whoever
hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him”. The Bible makes it clear that God judges us not only according
to our actions but according to the contents of our hearts. So I ask you, how
is your heart today?

Josh Duggar confessed his sins to his
parents and to God and sought godly counsel and forgiveness. You see, there is
not one sin that Jesus didn’t die for. Adrian Rogers used to say, “There is no
one so good he need not be saved, and there is no one so bad he cannot be
saved.” The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” Do you know that forgiveness firsthand today? If you will
simply repent of your sins and trust Christ alone to save you, He will save you
today and keep you saved forever.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

My second year of college, my friend and I carpooled
together just about every day. Our classes got out at the same time, so she
would ride with me and we would usually meet her father somewhere in town for
lunch. One of our favorite places to go back then was Wendy’s. And at the
particular Wendy’s we went to, there was one particular cashier that you couldn’t
help but love. She was an older black lady with short gray hair. She was short
in stature, but had a rather large personality. It didn’t take me long to
realize that most people, at least her regular customers, called her by her
first name, and she seemed to know most of theirs, as well. My friend always
went to Wendy’s because she liked the food, but Miss Stacie quickly became my reason.

We hadn’t been going there long when I began to notice that
Miss Stacie had memorized my order. I am a rather boring person who tends to
order the same thing every time, so it didn’t take her long to start greeting
me with, “You want your nuggets and a potato”? But a year later, I transferred to
a different school and I wasn’t able to go to Miss Stacie’s Wendy’s near as
often. However, the next time I went in about six months later, I discovered
that it didn’t matter how long it had been since the last time I was there.
Miss Stacie still remembered anyway. When I walked through that door and up to
her counter, she said, “Where you been? You want your nuggets and a potato…and…sweet
tea”? And to this day, she still remembers, no matter how long it’s been.

One time, while I was eating my lunch, a customer walked in
that Miss Stacie had not seen in years. The second she saw him, she began to
scream as though the building were on fire and then proceeded to jump up and
down as though she herself were on fire. She then flung open the door, run
around the corner, and gave him the kind of hug you might give someone if you
knew that that was going to be their last day on planet earth. She then just
kept repeating, “I can’t believe it’s you. I can’t believe it’s you. I can’t
believe it’s you. I haven’t seen you in years. I can’t believe it’s you.” When
is the last time a cashier has greeted you that way?

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen Miss Stacie, and I
hope to be able to make it back sometime soon. Miss Stacie is the kind of
person that makes the world go ‘round. She takes pride in what she does, and it
isn’t hard to notice. But most of all she finds joy in putting a smile on
customers’ faces. She seems to forget that she’s a cashier in a popular
fast-food restaurant chain, and it’s almost like you’re a guest in her own
kitchen. If only more people took on her attitude, this world would be a much
better place.

Monday, January 12, 2015

it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:21

Last week, Perry Noble issued an apology on his blog for the
message that he so tragically botched during his Christmas Eve service a few
weeks ago. Sadly, in his apology, he did yet again what he does so well, which
is to twist Scripture to no end. In an attempt to justify his errors, he used 1
Corinthians 1:21 to point out that, though his message was flawed, over 200
people still made professions of faith that night. However, in order for that
verse to mean what Perry Noble so badly wants it to mean, he would have had to
have taken it out of context. Therefore let’s take the time to look at the
entire passage to see what Paul really meant by what he wrote in 1 Corinthians
1:21.

18 For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God.

19 For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise?
where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in
the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22 For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 But we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness;

24 But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God.

25 Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than
men.

26 For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of
the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things
which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh
should glory in his presence.

30 But of him are ye
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:

31 That, according as
it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Sometimes, the best way to interpret Scripture is with
Scripture. If Perry Noble had done that, he would have needed to look no
further than a few verses up at 1 Corinthians 1:18 to see that “the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God.” This is what Paul was referring to in verse 21. He was by
no means implying that, though his own message was flawed, many were still
saved as a result. No. He was simply referring to the fact that the message of
the cross is oftentimes perceived as foolishness to those who do not know God.

As the song says, God picked such a strange way to save the
world. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). It makes no sense that the King of the
universe would become flesh and take on the form of a helpless little baby in a
manger. It makes no sense that Almighty God would leave His throne above to
live poor as a Job’s turkey on earth. It makes no sense that “while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It makes no sense that
Jesus Christ would exchange His righteousness for my sin. It makes no sense.
The Gospel makes no sense, and it wasn’t meant to.

Much of what we read in the Bible does not
make sense, folks. However, that being true, “the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us” (John 1:14). He knew joy, and He knew pain. He knew laughter, and He
knew sorrow. He knew what it was to rejoice, and He knew what it was to weep.
He was rejected and despised by the very ones He came to save. Yet He endured
all of this that we might know Him. This is the true miracle of the Gospel.
Jesus performed many wonderful miracles, but the greatest of all is the saving of
those who will turn from their sin and trust in Christ alone to save them.

It makes no sense for God to go to such a
great length to save those who rejected and despised Him, but that’s exactly
what He did. It may be a foolish message, but it is a saving message for those
who will believe. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life today,
it is my prayer that you would come to do so before it is eternally too late
for you. If you will turn from all sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He
will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Unfortunately,
I am afraid that most people my age do not even know who Dale Evans
was. However, she was one of my childhood heroes, and I still consider
her to be one of my heroes today. I did not know much about Dale when I
was growing up. However, I was reintroduced to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
about four months ago, and that is when I read Dale’s salvation story
for the first time.I like
Dale’s salvation story because it is very similar to my own. Dale
accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior when she was only ten years old.
However, she would be the first to tell you that she did not make Him
Lord of her life. And as she would say, “There is a big fat difference there.”Shortly
after Dale married Roy when she was thirty-five, she attended a church
service with her son, Tom. That was when Tom told her that Roy’s
children deserved to grow up in a Christian home and she needed to give
her life to Christ. It was upon her son’s plea that Dale did indeed give
her life completely over to Christ that day. And as she would have
said, her life was “radically changed” and “the burden of sin was rolled
away.”Many of you
reading this today may think that you will go to Heaven when you die
just because you say that you believe in Jesus Christ. But as Adrian
Rogers used to say, “If He is not your Lord, He is not your Savior.”
Luke 13:5 says, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish.”Oftentimes I will ask the readers of this blog to “acknowledge Jesus Christ
as Lord.” What do I mean by that? By acknowledging Jesus as Lord of your
life, you are giving Him complete control over every aspect of your
life. By acknowledging Jesus as Lord, you are saying, “What You say do, I
will do. What You say say, I will say. Where You say go, I will go.”If you have
not yet acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I am asking you
to please do so today. Turn completely from all sin and acknowledge
Jesus Christ as Lord. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

John R. W. Stott once said, “We should not ask, ‘What is
wrong with the world,’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we
should ask, ‘What has happened to the salt and light.’” This is a question I
have been asking myself for years. The Bible commands us as children of the King to be salt and light
to a lost and dying world. But is that what we’re doing? Are we living lives
that convict? Are we living lives that preserve? Are we living lives that
expose that which has been hidden in darkness? Or has our salt lost its savor
and our light lost its brightness?

If you live in upstate SC, you are no doubt aware of the current
controversy surrounding local megachurch NewSpring and its pastor, Perry Noble.
For years, I have had my reservations about the so-called “church” for one
reason. I haven’t heard very many messages preached by Perry Noble, so that
couldn’t be it. I have only observed its rock concert-like worship style once,
so that really couldn’t be it, either. No. My main concern with NewSpring has
always been a lack of evidence of true change in the lives of its members. Jesus
said in Matthew 7:16-18, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit.”

What the Lord was saying in that particular
passage of Scripture is that we can make educated observations about someone’s
salvation by the way they choose to live their lives. If they are clearly
walking in the truth, growing in the Word, loving what He loves and hating what
He hates, we can safely say that they most likely are in a right relationship
with the Lord. However, if they clearly are not regularly feeding on the Word
of God and if they aren’t living their lives according to the plan He has laid
out for them in His Word, we have serious reason to doubt their salvation. This
is exactly why I have serious doubts about the legitimacy of the thousands of
conversions that have supposedly taken place at NewSpring over the past fifteen
years.

You may say, “Well, how can you say these
things”? When you sit in a restaurant and
hear the lady behind you tell her friend that she attends NewSpring because she
can be open about the fact that she and her boyfriend are living together
before marriage and not have people judge her, you wise up. It doesn’t take too
many times of hearing the people in front of you in class who you know attend
NewSpring discussing the raunchiest shows on television for you to know that
something just isn’t right. And when someone else you know attends NewSpring
comes in on Monday and brags about how she got drunk with her friends over the
weekend, you tend to question things.

On James Duncan’s blog, Pajama Pages, one commenter wrote, “This
is really the crux of the issue with NewSpring. There is a lot of good
marketing that gets people there, but there is not a lot [of] sound teaching
that gets believers to ‘grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.’
I’ve come across many who have been baptized by NewSpring and regularly
[attend]: open lesbian couples, cohabitating couples, and the like. They go
there because they know they won’t be ‘judged’ there.” But if Perry Noble is
really preaching the life-changing, earth-shattering truth of God’s Word, how
can this be?

John 3:19 tells us, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Darkness dwells with darkness, and light with light. The two simply do not mix.
When light enters a room full of darkness, all darkness leaves immediately;
however, when darkness enters a room full of darkness, there is simply more
darkness. The fact is there are only two possible things that can happen when
someone who does not know the Lord listens to the preaching of His Word: either
they will be convicted, embrace the conviction and seek to learn more about the
Lord Jesus, eventually giving their heart and life to him, or they will be
convicted and run from the conviction. Those living in disobedience to the Word
of God don’t usually attend Bible believing churches for very long. The fact
that NewSpring is filled with members who live in blatant disobedience to God’s
Word suggests that the entire truth of the Bible may indeed not be being preached
there, for darkness doesn’t dwell with light.

The title of this blog post is “Pass the
Salt.” The Bible commands us to be the salt of the earth. Have you ever gotten
salt in an open wound? It didn’t feel too good, did it? In fact, it burns
something awful. Salt is a good healer, but in fighting the infection it brings
serious pain. That is the effect the Word of God ought to have on a person who
is living outside of God’s will for their life. People will either embrace the
conviction and get right with God, or they will turn and run as fast they can
in the opposite direction. Not too many will sit and listen week after week,
year after year with no change of heart. If they do, it’s because the salt has
lost its power.

May we all live salty lives, encouraging
others to get right with the Lord, and may “your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew
5:16). This is what Adrian Rogers meant when he used to say, “Witness always,
using words when necessary.”

Do you know the Lord today? Have you
embraced His calling to surrender your entire life to Him? If not, it is my
prayer that you would come to do so before it is eternally too late for you. If
you will turn from all sin and trust Christ alone to save you, He will save you
today and keep you saved forever.

Monday, January 5, 2015

A couple days ago, Tony Miano shared an article on facebook
written by a local college professor about a particular sermon recently
delivered by the pastor of a local megachurch. The article is entitled “NobleRescinds the Ten Commandments for 2015.” Perhaps you have already read it yourself
or have at least heard of it. If you have not yet read it, I suggest you do so
before continuing with the rest of this blog post. After reading this gentlemen’s
article, I immediately wanted to write a blog post of my own warning other
people of my generation to stay away from such teaching while throwing in my own
personal touch. So here goes.

I don’t know if the writer of the aforementioned article has
ever personally attended Perry Noble’s so-called “church,” but I unfortunately
can tell you that I have. It was exactly one week before I would start my
freshman year of college, and since my home church had cancelled services for
that night a couple of my friends suggested that I join them at NewSpring. I
had always been cautious of this local fast-growing megachurch that was
notorious for loud music and casual dress; however, since my church wasn’t
having services that particular night, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to
satisfy my curiosity just that one time. Big
mistake, or so I felt at the time.

Once I had arrived at the church and parked my car in the
already overflowing parking lot, it didn’t take me long to realize that
something was terribly wrong. As I was waiting on my friends to arrive, I stood
by my car and keenly observed the people passing by on their way into the
building, trying not to be too obvious, of course. As I was doing so, I noticed
something that was missing. That something was Bibles. I must have seen dozens
of people walk through that parking lot before my friends got there, yet I didn’t
see one person carrying a Bible. When I questioned my friend about it later, he
said something to the effect of, “Oh, it’s okay. We don’t need them. He always
puts it up on the screen anyway.” Screen or no screen, I had always been taught
that you never attend church without your Bible in tow. In fact, I don’t
remember many services growing up in my small Southern Baptist church that the
preacher didn’t start his message by saying, “Now turn in your Bibles to…,” and
the congregation would then stand as the preacher read the passage aloud. I was
taught to treasure the Bible because it is God’s holy, infallible word, and
treasuring the Bible meant taking it to church with me. It just didn’t make
sense to do otherwise.

As if the missing Bibles wasn’t enough, I noticed something
else alarming when I finally made it inside the building. I could hear music
playing from what sounded like overhead speakers, but I didn’t recognize the
words. After listening carefully for a while, I turned to my friend and said, “Is
that a secular song they’re playing”? He nodded that it was, but then added
that they only played it before the actual service began, as if that somehow
made it alright. At that point, something told me that I should turn around and
walk right back out the door from which I had just came; however, I very
politely told the little voice to “shut up” and continued to find a place to
sit (another huge mistake!).

Upon finally finding three empty seats all together, my
friends and I sat down to find what seemed to be some sort of blow-up device
placed at each seat. As we explored further, we realized that they were neon
orange blow-up sticks, and each person had been given two to bang together
during the rock concert-like “worship” service. How such behavior could ever be
considered worship, I will probably never know.

I was really too distracted by what I had already witnessed
before the so-called pastor started to preach to pay too much attention to what
he was saying, but what I can remember is him using three or four curse words
along with taking the name of the Lord in vain at least once (no wonder he felt
the need to change that commandment around).It seems like he may have also
thrown in a story at some point about scaring an office worker with a plastic
bag. What I’m sure he didn’t do is preach the Word of God.

At the end of the service, Perry Noble did give an alter
call, leading his audience in what is commonly known as “the sinner’s prayer.”
However, like my fellow blogger mentioned, he never gave a biblical explanation
as to why they needed to be saved or what they were being saved from. He simply
asked for a show of hands as to how many had prayed the prayer and asked that
all who did come to the front at close of service. Funny, we never read in the
Bible where Jesus took for granted that His listeners knew what it meant to be
a sinner in need of a Savior. That is why He always was careful to explain it
in a way which those He was speaking to could thoroughly understand, just like
he did with the rich young ruler.

Coming from a traditional Southern Baptist church, it is
oftentimes hard to get people to understand that my problem with NewSpring goes
much deeper than it simply not being my style. No. My problem with NewSpring
has always been with the fruit produced, or the lack thereof. Matthew 7:16-17
says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” If the
life-changing truth of God’s Word were indeed being preached at NewSpring,
would it not make sense for the majority of the congregation to bear good
fruit, to be walking in the truth, to love what God loves and hate what God
hates? You would think.

I remember a couple years ago I was sitting
in a college biology class when I overheard the conversation of a group of
people who I had just heard mention a Bible study that they had attended at
NewSpring. The conversation to which I am referring, however, was not about the
Bible study. Instead, they were talking about the popular vulgar, animated
television sitcom Family Guy. I
remember sitting there thinking to myself, “Who engages in discussion of God’s
Word one minute and watches a show that curses Him the next”? If you are a
child of God, the very things that break His heart ought to break yours, as
well.

Perhaps the one instance that stands out to
me the most is a conversation that I once overheard while sitting alone in a
local Japanese restaurant. Sitting in the booth behind me was two ladies who I
could not help but hear discussing NewSpring. From what I heard, it sounded
like the two may not have known each other for very long. The one was telling
the other about the man whom she was currently living with although they were
not married. She then proceeded to explain that that was the precise reason
they attended NewSpring. She said, “We can tell people without having them
judge us.” Of course, I’m not surprised, being that according to Perry Noble,
God’s command to “flee fornication” in 1 Corinthians 6:18 is more of a
suggestion than anything. I can’t imagine what “promise” Perry Noble could
possibly twist out of that, since God already promises us that “every sin that
a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth
against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). How much plainer could you get than
that?

To tell you the truth, NewSpring scares me
because of one verse. That verse is Proverbs 14:12 which says, “There is a way
which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
I fear because Perry Noble teaches that it is possible to follow God without
adhering to His teachings. But if that were so, why then did Jesus say in John
14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (see also Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy
5:10, 7:9, 11:1, 11:22, 19:9, 30:16, Joshua 22:5, Nehemiah 1:5, Daniel 9:4,
John 14:21, 15:10, and 1 John 5:2-3; all seem to show the concept of loving God
and keeping His commandments going hand-in-hand—to separate the two is
impossible)?

Hebrews 9:27 does indeed say, “It is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” And I am
here to tell you today that God is not going to let you into Heaven simply
because you said yes to His existence, but He is going to judge you based on
whether or not you said yes to His teachings and loved Him enough to take Him
at His Word. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out
devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Some translations have that word “iniquity” as “lawlessness.” In other words,
those who profess to know the Lord yet fail to keep His commandments.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you
that you can go to Heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments. Well, you could, but
you can’t keep them—nobody can. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God,” and Romans 3:12 says, “There is none
that doeth good, no, not one.” The fact that you can’t keep them is
proof that you need God’s saving grace. That’s why Jesus had to die on the
cross. He knew that we could never be good enough on our own, so He traded His life
for ours. Then He rose triumphantly from the grave on the third day, defeating sin
and death once for all. First Thessalonians 1:10 calls Him “Jesus who delivers
us from the wrath to come.”

I’ve never been one to ask people to
believe in Jesus. No. I simply ask
that you believe Him, that you take
Him at His word, that you believe with every fiber of your being that every
word He says is true. Adrian Rogers once said, “The biggest fool is not the one
who says there is no God. The biggest fool is the one who says there is a God
and then doesn’t live like it.” That is exactly what Perry Noble wants you to
do. He wants you to say that you believe in God, but then to live as if He
doesn’t even exist. He’s asking you to be what some may call the “Christian
atheist.” However, if you ever meet Him and realize the significance of what
Jesus did for you on the cross, to do what Perry Noble is suggesting will be
impossible for you; because once you give your life to Him, you’ll never be the
same. He’ll give you a new heart with new desires and enable you to do His will
for your life which He has laid out so beautifully for you in His Word. And I
promise you upon the authority of God’s Word that you will never be sorry that
you trusted Him.

Maybe you are here today and you are realizing for the first
time that you need Him in your life. If you have never acknowledged Jesus as
Lord of your life, it is my prayer that you would come to do so today before it
is eternally too late for you. There’s only one way to Heaven, and that’s the
blood of Jesus. Claim it today. Turn from all sin and trust Jesus alone to save
you. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

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John 14:6

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Joshua 24:15

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve."

Psalm 145:2

"Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever."

About Me...

Thank you so very much for reading my blog! My name is Tommy, and I am just an old-fashioned sinner saved by God's amazing grace. I've made so many foolish decisions in my lifetime, many of which I wish I could forget. However, I thank my God that He's not finished with me yet!

I realize there are many people who can write a whole lot better than I can, but no one can write about a more gracious and loving God than I can. Please join me as we explore the awesomeness of God's Word together. Again, thanks for stopping by!

Mission Statement

Since this blog is a combination of what used to be two separate blogs, I have two missions when it comes to posting to this blog. If you are a Christian, my goal is to encourage you in your personal relationship with the Lord. And if you are anyone else, my goal is to help you realize your need for Him in your life.

Thank you so much for reading!

Say an Everlasting "Yes!" to Jesus Today

As mentioned before, I have a number of reasons for having this blog; however, my main goal is for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord to come to know Him before it is eternally too late for them. If you do not know Him personally, listen closely.

I often say that the ultimate reality of life is this: God created, I sinned against Him, and then Jesus Christ saved my sorry soul. If you are here today and think you do not need to be saved, you are sadly mistaken. Adrian Rogers said, "There is no one so good that he need not be saved; and there is no one so bad that he cannot be saved."

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." If you have ever lied, stolen, or taken God's name in vain, you are guilty of sinning against the most high God. But it does not stop at that. Jesus said that even if we look with lust at another person, we have committed adultery in our heart--God even sees what others cannot. God is a holy and righteous Judge and will not let any who are guilty enter His Kingdom of Heaven.

This means that, if you have broken God's holy Law even once, you will be in big trouble come Judgment Day. However, two thousand years ago God made provision for you and me when He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin and later die on an old, rugged cross for all the sins of the world. Friend, not only were you on His mind that day, but He was in your place.

Jesus died so that you may be set free--He took your punishment so that you would not have to. And if you will turn from your sin and trust in Christ alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever. So please say "no" to sin and an everlasting "yes" to Jesus, today!

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Awesome Quotes

"You might not want to accept Him because He'll change your life, and you'll never be the same." -Facing the Giants

"I'm not the best preacher in the world--there are a lot of people who can preach the Gospel better than I can. But no one can preach a better Gospel than I can because there's only one..." -Adrian Rogers